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Masters Degree (Part Time)

NILS Masters Degree program in affiliation with the University of Benin

Project Details

The National Institute for Legislative Studies shall offer Master’s Degree programmes in three related areas of its mandate. The programmes are:

Master’s Degree in Legislative Studies

Master’s Degree in Parliamentary Administration

Master’s Degree in Legislative Drafting

The Master’s Degree programmes are part of the mandate of the Institution to, among other things, provide opportunities for continuing education in democracy and legislation and the improvement of the capacity of legislators and legislative staff in legislative practice and procedure. The mandate was inspired by the experiences of both the more – developed and the many less-developed countries in their struggles to build and sustain democratic governance, institutions, and practices.

Program Details

The Philosophy of the Programmes

The programmes are guided by the belief that it is only by appropriate and effective education of the populace and training of legislators and legislative staff in democratic governance and legislative practices and procedures that genuine and functional democracies can emerge across the world.

Objectives of the Programmes

The postgraduate programmes have two main objectives. The first objective is to equip legislators and legislative staff at all tiers of government with the knowledge and skills required for improved performance of their various functions. The second objective is to provide opportunities for members of the public who are interested in the practice and procedure of the legislature to familiarize themselves with the operating procedures of this branch of government. The specific objectives of each programme are outlined in the relevant sections.

Admission Requirements

Matriculation requirements of 5 credits including English and Mathematics

A bachelor’s degree in a relevant area from a recognized university, with a minimum of Second Class Lower Division

A postgraduate diploma in a relevant area from a recognized institution with at least 60% CGPA.

Duration of Programmes

The duration of the postgraduate programmes is as follows Master’s Degree Programmes: The duration of the full-time Master’s Degree programme is a minimum of six (4) semesters and a maximum of six (6) semesters.

Requirements for Graduation

To be awarded a master’s degree, a candidate must obtain a minimum of thirty-three (33) credit unit made up as follows:

Core courses of 15 credit units

Elective courses of 9 credit units

A student shall carry out research in any area of specialization in his/her discipline and submit an acceptable dissertation of 6 credit units.

A student shall present at least one (1) seminar of 3 credit units

Domiciliation

Master’s Degree Programme in Legislative Studies – Faculty of Law

Master’s Degree Programme in Legislative Drafting – Faculty of Law

Master’s Degree Programme in Administration – Faculty of Social Sciences

Academic Sessions

Each academic session is made up of two semesters, structured as follows:

First Semester: Fifteen (15) weeks of teaching, and two (2) weeks of examinations

Semester Break: two (2) weeks

Second Semester: Fifteen (15) weeks of teaching, and two (2) weeks of examinations.

Programme Requirement: Registration Procedure : Students shall normally complete registration for courses for the programme not later than 2 weeks after the start of the programme. A student cannot withdraw from a course after a third of it has been taught without permission of the programme postgraduate committee. A student who withdraws after this time or who fails to sit for the final exam without reasons acceptable to the Senate shall be deemed to have failed that course.

Student Academic Status: A student’s academic status shall be determined on the basis of his or her performance at the end of the programme. The following categorization shall be used.

Good standing: To be in good standing, a student must, at the end of the programme, have a minimum score of 50% in each course taken

Carry Over Courses: A student who fails to obtain a minimum score of 50% in some courses at the end of a particular year of study, shall be allowed to re-register at the next available opportunity.

Withdrawal: A student who fails to obtain a minimum score of 50 in at least 2 courses at the end of a particular year of study shall be required to withdraw from the programme.

Course Evaluation

Attainment Levels: Assessment of a student’s achievement shall be based on:

Examination

Seminars/term papers

Oral presentations and problem solving exercises

Assignments

Group project work

Dissertation

Continuous Assessment: Continuous assessment may be done through seminar, tests, term papers and home work. Scores from continuous assessment shall constitute 30% of the final marks for the courses.

Examination, Grading Procedure and Result

Examinations:

In addition to continuous assessment, final examinations shall be given at the end of each semester. The total score obtainable for any course (continuous assessment and final examinations) is 100%.

Each course shall normally be completed and examined at the end of the semester in which it is offered.

A written examination shall normally last for 3 hours

Pass mark: the minimum pass mark in any course shall be 50%

% Scores

Letter Grades

Remark

70 & above

A

Distinction

60 – 69

B

Credit

50 – 59

C

Pass

Below 50

F

Fail

External Examination System: The external examination system shall be used at the end of the programme to assess students’ course work dissertations. The dissertations shall be defended orally before a panel of internal and external examiners and shall each be awarded a score.

Academic Physical Facilities for the Programmes

Classrooms: The Institute has three (3) standard classrooms for lectures and tutorials

Classroom A, with seating capacity of 70

Classroom B, with seating capacity of 30

Classroom C, with seating capacity of 22

Computer Laboratory: The Institute has a computer laboratory that can accommodate about 35 users at any given time (including the e-library which has 10 seats)

Library: The Institute has a well-equipped library with diverse books on law, humanities, social sciences, and other specialized areas. The library has a reading room and an e-library section.

Office Accommodation: The Institute has standardised and sufficiently equipped offices for various categories of staff

Examination Theatre: The Institute has a large hall for all examinations, with a seating capacity of 80

Equipment: The Institute is sufficiently equipped with modern teaching and research aids that include:

Public address system

Computers

Projectors

Photocopiers

Video/audio recording equipment

Internet and WIFI

Academic staff

NILS’ faculty members comprise in-house expert trainers, consultants and partner international institutions. The faculty are highly trained and experienced professionals on topics relating to the legislature, economic, social and political developments, and development management. Our in-house experts include the following:

PhD Law (University of London), Legislative DraftingMaster of Law(LLM), Legislative DraftingNigerian Institute of Advanced Legal StudiesBachelor of Law (LLB), Rivers State University of Science and Technology